London, Nov. 7 (Lusa) - British tourists are delaying booking their 2019 summer holidays due to the uncertainty on the exit process of the UK from the European Union (EU), the Portuguese secretary of state of tourism said on Tuesday.
“There are some question marks for the UK tour operators with the uncertainty and the consequences of Brexit,” Ana Mendes Godinho told Lusa in London. “This may cause some delays in bokings by British tourists as long as they do not know about the situation, what will happen and the impact the devaluation of the pound may have.”
The result is a setback in bookings that normally begin in December for the next year when the conditions of the exit process are clearer.
For Godinho, it is important to manage the key moments of communication in the promotion campaigns made in partnership with operators and the Internet.
“Our concern here is to maintain the loyalty of the UK market for Portugal. Until August, we felt a [6%] break in the number of guests in hotels, but the growth in revenues was 10%,” she said.
Tourism is one of the areas with the highest risk of negative impact due to Brexit.
According to the report “Brexit – The consequences for the Portuguese economy and companies” promoted by the Business Confederation of Portugal, around two million British guests visited Portugal, representing 21% of the total, and 28% of the nights spent in hotels.
The worsening of the devaluation of the pound against the euro, which has already lost about 14% between the referendum and the beginning of September of this year, is, after Brexit, the main cause of concern, as it may discourage British tourists from travelling to countries that use the single currency, such as Portugal.
According to the report, tourism has had an increasing importance in the Portuguese economy, representing 7.1% of the total gross value added in 2016. A break in the purchasing power of the tourists can be a threat.
The UK is to leave the EU in March 2019, two years after the official launch of the exit process, and almost three years after the referendum that saw 52% of the British people voting in favour of Brexit.
BM/IMYN // ADB.
Lusa